Fresh seafood, baklava, tabbouleh and simple, flavorful dishes. In the food realm, those are just a few items that Lebanon is often recognized for. However, they’re now making a bold move—the first and only one ever—into the craft beer world and Philadelphia is playing a big role in their exciting venture.
Mazen Hajjar, founder of 961 Beer, is scheduled to appear at Garret Hill Ale House on Thursday, February 7, for the Pennsylvania debut of his craft brewery. As Lebanon’s first and only craft brewery, it began as an experiment among friends and has grown to produce 300,000 cases annually, including four “Regular” offerings and the first of what promises to be many “Brewmaster’s Select” offerings, their superior Lebanese Pale Ale. Hajjar will be on hand for the duration of the pay-as-you-go event to meet, drink and answer questions with all attendees.
“Beer is an important part of human civilization: we first emerged from our caves 10,000 years ago when we domesticated barley, not for bread, but for beer,” says Hajjar, who has worked as an investment banker and founded two airlines before devoting himself to brewing. “And just as human civilization got its start in this part of the world, I’m proud now to produce exceptional craft beers here in Lebanon and share them with discerning drinkers around the world.”
The brewery’s name is interestingly enough derived from the international dialing code for Lebanon. Their currently slinging a Lager, a Helles-style lager that is crisp and flavorful and just won “Best Lager” at the 2012 Hong Kong International Beer Awards; a Red Ale, densely malt-y and reddish in color with an intensely fruity and aromatic flavor; a Porter, brewed with dark roasted malts and hopped with traditional English varieties; a Witbier, an unfiltered beer that is light and sweet with natural sediment; and a Lebanese Pale Ale, based loosely on an English IPA with aromas inspired by the spice markets of the Middle East, brewed with 100% traditional Lebanese herbs and spices such as thyme, sumac, chamomile, sage, anise and mint.
Now’s the time to keep your eye out for 961 Beer rapidly becoming available along the East Coast. States like Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Delaware and Washington, D.C. already have the unique sips popping up in certain locations and they plan to expand their reach further before the end of the year. However, as one of the world’s smallest microbreweries, backed by Hajjar and a few friends, it’s understandable that their expansion takes some time.
Still, they have a lot to be proud about since beginning with 20-liter kettles on home stoves then becoming one of the fastest-growing and most exciting craft breweries in the world today. The brewery is located in the foothills of Mazraat Yachoua, overlooking Beirut and the Mediterranean Sea. Beer lovers can follow 961 Beer on Facebook and Twitter.
Photographs courtesy of 961 Beer.
